Update 9/25/2005: 9-25 Arnold Coster
Transcription: This is Arnold Coster, the leader of the Cho Oyu SummitClimb
2005 Expedition. I'm reporting from Camp One, 6,400 meters. Today the 25th
we left with 12 members and three Tibetan Sherpas for the first summit
attempt. Our plan is to summit the 28th. The second group is leaving the 26th
with five people and three Tibetan Sherpas. Their plan is to summit the 29th.
We also have a third group of four people and one Tibetan Sherpa. They're
leaving the 27th and they want to summit the 30th. So, I hope the next two
days if everything goes fine I can call in summit names. I also have a
message for Jana (sp?) from Ben who says he's thinking of her and he loves
you. And I have a small message for my mother-and I want to say the cheese is
delicious here in Camp One, and everybody likes it. I hope the next time I
call I have some summit names. This is it for now, bye bye.

Cho-Oyu has only recently
become a popular mountain to climb. It is now known to be one of the most
accessible of the world’s fourteen 8,000 metre mountains. This is because the
ascent to the summit is short and direct, with a few small technical sections,
less than 6 metres high, climbed in safety using fixed lines. Additionally,
the mountain can be easily reached by four-wheel-drive vehicle, and the trail
to Camp 1 at 6,400 metres, is basically a steep walk on talus slopes, often
done in hiking boots. This expedition to Cho-Oyu maximizes our previous
successful ascents on the peak itself, plus many years of accumulated wisdom
of the high Himalaya, a strong record of reaching 8,000 metre summits in all
safety, along with an intimate knowledge of the Tibetan and Chinese officials
who regulate the permit system. We must also give credit to the highly
experienced and hard-working leaders, sherpas and staff here at
SummitClimb.com

Leader: Arnold Coster, an accomplished and friendly leader who has led
successful expeditions to the summit of Cho Oyu and Everest. Arnold's last
expedition placed 9 of 11 members and 4 Sherpas on the summit of Cho Oyu;
Organizer: Jon Christian Otto, fluent Chinese speaker, Tibet and China Expert,
with 10 years experience organizing Himalayan climbs.

Cho Oyu - the "Turquoise
Goddess" in Tibetan - is located at the frontier of Tibet and Nepal. At a
height of 8201 meters, it belongs to the Himalayan range, about 30 km west of
Everest. It is the sixth highest mountain in the world and was first climbed
on October 19th 1954 by the Austrian Herbert Tichy, with Sepp Jochler and
Pasang Dava Lama.

"Finally, the peak is
reached, the infinite hardships are ended. The last nine hours fighting with
the mountain; the time in the death zone above 24,000 foot, the weeks of
privations and hardships, even the risk of one's life - is this reward itself
really? Yes, certainly! Not because of fame but inner satisfaction: To have
found the mountain as friend and have been so near to the sky." Sepp Jochler.

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